What Is Love
by Mara Greengrass
Summary: The Gosei Angels are still confused about "human love." Nozomu just *knows* this is going to go badly.
1. What Is Love

Note: If the show didn't want me to think utterly ridiculous thoughts, it shouldn't have episodes like ep. 20 ("Fall in Love Goseigers"), amirite?

When Nozomu came in, Agri was jumping rope in the middle of the room, looking annoyed.

"You defeated the beast?" Nozomu asked, hurrying over.

"Hmm?" Agri paused and looked up. "Oh, yes. It's safe for humans to love again."

Nozomu frowned. "Then what's wrong?"

"We never did figure out exactly what human love is. I don't think your dad was right that it's war."

"No," Nozomu said with a sigh. "I don't think he's right either. In fact...I don't think you should ask my dad questions like that. I love him but-"

"You love him?" Agri folded the jump rope. "See, humans say things like that all the time, but what does it mean?"

"I love him like you love...Eri." Nozomu finished triumphantly.

"I love Eri?" Agri blinked, considering this. "I love Eri." He nodded slowly. "Yes, that's right. Thank you!" He smiled widely and dashed out of the room.

Nozomu watched him go with a sinking feeling that he'd said the wrong thing, although he wasn't quite sure what.

* * *

Hyde sought Nozomu out the next day as Nozomu was washing dishes. Hyde picked up a dish towel and started drying. "So, about love..."

Nozomu almost dropped a plate in the sink. "Er, yes?" The sinking feeling from his conversation with Agri returned.

"Everyone seems so obsessed and I can't figure out why."

"Um, on Gosei World, how does it work?"

"How does what work?"

Nozomu wished his hands weren't covered with soap so he could rub his eyes. "Finding someone to spend your life with? Uh...making babies?" He felt his face turn hot.

Hyde stopped drying. "What do those have to do with each other?"

"Oh dear." Nozomu looked at the dishes and tried not to whimper.

* * *

Alata put a bowl of parfait in front of Nozomu and slid into the seat next to him with his own bowl. Nozomu picked up a spoon, resigned to the topic of conversation that was undoubtedly coming, but grateful that Alata had at least brought him a treat first.

"How do humans show that they love someone?" Alata asked, scooping up cream and strawberries.

Nozomu closed his eyes for a moment and ate a spoonful of parfait to give himself time. "Well, Takuya pretty much showed you how. You try to be their friend and spend time with them and find things you have in common..." He winced as he realized how much he was describing himself, but on the bright side, Alata was pretty oblivious.

"But what if you're already their friend?" Alata could do a puzzled face like nobody else.

"I guess you just do extra special things for them. You tell them that you love them. You ask them to...date or get married? I don't exactly have any experience, I'm sorry..." Nozomu trailed off.

Alata licked his spoon contemplatively. "No, that was very helpful. Thank you!" He took his empty bowl to the kitchen.

Nozomu stared at the rest of his parfait for a while, then tossed it out and went to his room, where he spent an hour doing the most difficult schoolwork he could think of. He was _happy_ for whoever Alata was talking about. He _was_.

* * *

Moune and Eri sat down on either side of Nozomu at the soccer field, holding books. Eri waved the book in her hand. "Do humans always have to be mean to someone they love first?"

Nozomu looked at the books the girls held and shook his head violently. "Uh, you can't learn about love from romances."

"Then how do humans do it?" Moune asked.

"Uh, well, I guess we read the books, but we also watch other people."

"You watch other people making babies?"

"What?" Nozomu sat up straight, looking around wildly to make sure nobody was nearby. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Hyde told me," Eri said. "He said humans connect love with how you make babies. Not the normal way, I mean, but how humans make babies."

Nozomu thought about asking the natural question, but decided that a) this wasn't the place and b) the answer would probably make him so embarrassed he would die on the spot. "That's not quite what I meant." His head started to hurt. "Hyde said that on Gosei World you don't, um, have babies with the person you marry, er, partner with."

"You can, of course, if you happen to be opposite genders," Moune said, "but there's no particular reason to."

"So your parents are..."

Eri tilted her head. "Your parents are the people who raise you. Who else would they be?"

Nozomu opened his mouth, closed it, and for the first time in a long time, wished for parents who were available and capable of handling issues like this.

* * *

Agri sat on the couch, even glummer than before. Nozomu was certain he was going to regret it, but he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Eri doesn't want to make babies with me."

Nozomu froze, realizing he now knew what it felt like to have your heart stop.

"This means she doesn't love me."

"No?" Nozomu wanted to sound more sure of himself, but he was so far out of his depth that he might possibly be drowning. "I mean, there are lots of people I love but I don't want to marry them. Uh, if I was even old enough."

Agri looked confused.

"I love you and Hyde and Alata and Moune and Eri, but that's not the same thing as wanting to marry them."

"Oh."

"There's lots of kinds of love. That's what I was trying to say."

"The books didn't say anything about that," Moune said, coming into the room.

"Books..." Nozomu was ready to cry. "They just talk about one kind, the kind that means marrying and babies, but there's lots of kinds. Between siblings, like you. Or loving parents or friends."

"They're all love?" Moune sighed. "Hyde is right: This is baffling."

Nozomu took a deep breath. "Can you get everyone together, please?"

* * *

Somehow, Nozomu felt this conversation needed charts or diagrams or _something_, but he wasn't sure exactly what they would say. Instead he looked at the gathered Gosei Angels and tried to figure out where to start.

"I'm sorry," Alata said.

Nozomu blinked. "What?"

"We shouldn't have burdened you with this." Alata's face was scrunched in concern. "We forgot that you're still a child."

"I'm not-" Nozomu paused and lowered his voice. "I'm not mad or upset." Mostly, he thought. "I just think it might be easier if everyone was having the same conversation." They all looked abashed and Nozomu sighed.

"It's just how we were trained," Hyde said. "If we don't understand something, we keep poking at it until we _do_ understand."

"I know. It's just that love is complicated. It's not like wanting to know how to find groceries or why there is pollution." Not that those had been easy conversations either...

"Emotions are nearly always complicated," Eri said. "We should have realized that." Moune and Agri nodded as she spoke.

"I've been doing my best, but I think I've just made everything more confusing," Nozomu said, hanging his head.

"It's not your fault," Agri said. "We all made a lot of assumptions, which made things worse."

"Can you try again?" Alata asked softly.

Nozomu nodded once. "There's lots of kinds of love," he said. "Love can mean parents and children, people who are partners, even friends. Like all of you. You worry about each other, right? And you like spending time with together and want the others to be happy."

Everyone nodded. "So..." Hyde said slowly. "We all love each other."

"And Agri and Moune are brother and sister, which is another kind of love."

The Landick angels looked at each other. "I see," Moune said.

"And my father and my mother, even though they don't see each other a lot, they love each other." Nozomu couldn't help smiling as he thought of how his parents looked when they were together.

"They love enough that they had a child together," Eri said and Nozomu smiled at her.

"How do you know what kind of love you're feeling?" Alata asked.

Nozomu shrugged helplessly.

"I'm sorry," Alata shook his head. "I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's okay, it's just...maybe I am still a kid," he whispered. "I don't know..." Before the first tear could fall, Eri and Moune were hugging him, followed by the other three, making a big group hug around him.

"Kid or not," Agri began.

"You're amazing," Moune finished.

"I don't know what we would have done without you," Hyde said.

"You've done so much for us," Eri added.

"I'm just sorry that the people of Earth will never know how much they owe you," Alata said. "But we will remember."

Nozomu let the tears fall and his friends held him close and showed how much they loved him.

* * *

Hyde and Eri sat on a rock by the sea as the waves crashed against the base. Eri had her chin on her knees as she focused.

"Do you see it?" Hyde asked.

"Yes," she said, sitting up straight with a happy smile. "The water is connected to everything, isn't it? It looks like it's here in one place, but it's not."

"Exactly!" Hyde found himself smiling without exactly intending it. Eri seemed to have that effect on him.

"And do you see how the sea and the air are connected?" Eyes wide, she looked around.

"Hmm?"

"The water, it flows up into the air, mixing until you can't tell them apart, until they form a harmonious whole." Her smile was brilliant.

Hyde focused his powers. "And..." he paused, looking for the words. "The breeze is teasing the water, pushing and pulling on the surface and playing a game that the sea can't resist."

"Right," Eri said with satisfaction as she took his hand in hers. "That's exactly right."

"Oh!" Hyde clutched her hand tighter. "I see."

"I do too."

Eri leaned against him and he could feel the sea and air dancing around them and Hyde decided that this "love" thing wasn't so hard after all.

-end-


	2. As Angels in Some Brighter Dreams

Agri wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with the pots of flowers Alata had started giving him. Yeah, he was Landick, but honestly he'd always done better with rocks and volcanoes than growing things. The thought was nice, of course, so he tried to find sunny window spots for them around the institute. And, well, they were pretty, he supposed.

From his spot on the couch, he peered over the newspaper at Gosei Red, whose charm remained a mystery to Agri. How did he manage to be so nice? Why did everyone like him? Even Agri liked him and there weren't many people he actually liked, as opposed to tolerated.

But Alata was kind and gave him growing things and looked over his shoulder while he tried to figure out how crosswords worked.

And since the...incident Alata often joined him on his runs. He couldn't always keep up, but Agri found it pleasant to have company, even if Alata was too easily distracted by their surroundings.

* * *

Focusing on his stride, it took Agri at least 20 seconds to realize Alata wasn't next to him. Spinning, he saw Alata leaning over a railing, his face beaming with joy. "Look!" he called, hanging so far over Agri had to resist the urge to grab his legs and yank him back.

Agri jogged over. "What is it?"

"Look at that!" Alata said, pointing down. "Right in the middle of the city, look how they've used their yard."

Agri leaned over. Eri would have been able to tell them the names of every flower, he was certain, but all he could say was that it was beautiful, with plants of different sizes and colors and shapes, all harmoniously arranged to seem totally natural.

"It must make whoever lives there so happy," Alata said. "And the people around them too. Look at all the butterflies. Even they love the garden."

Agri's impatience at the stop melted away as he watched the butterflies fly back and forth, their colors gleaming in the sun. He found himself leaning almost as far as Alata as he saw blue flashing, followed by one that was a mix of purple, red and orange.

He would never have noticed this, he realized, without Alata there. He grinned over and Alata smiled back.

* * *

It took Agri at least a month to notice the correlation between his favorite foods appearing and the days that Alata did the shopping. Of course, Alata tried to keep everyone happy, but somehow Agri's vote seemed to weigh just a bit higher. Not enough to upset anyone, of course.

As Agri settled down on the couch with a book, Alata leaped lightly over the back to settle next to him with his sketch pad filled with dreadful drawings. "Can you help?" Alata asked.

"Hmm?"

"I want to find something new to draw, maybe something in the woods, and you and Moune know the forest better than anyone. Can you suggest something?"

"Um, I don't know. I don't really think about that when I'm training. I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Alata said. "I just thought I would ask."

"Take him out to the clearing," Moune called from across the room. "The sun and trees are lovely this time of the afternoon."

"You take him!"

Alata put a hand on Agri's arm. "It's okay. You can just tell me how to get there."

Agri gave him directions but found that when Alata was gone, he couldn't focus on what he'd been reading. And oddly, everyone seemed to be watching him. Finally, his restlessness burst free and he jumped up. "I'm...going for a run," he said.

* * *

Alata was perched on a log when Agri arrived. "Hi!" Alata said with his usual smile. "This really is beautiful, Moune was right."

"Hello."

"Is something wrong?" Alata put the pad aside, looking serious. "I have my tensouder and I didn't hear a call."

Alata's full attention and concern were focused on Agri, who felt completely ridiculous now. "I...no. No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted..."

Waiting patiently, Alata watched him.

Closing his eyes, Agri realized he had no idea what to say. "Never mind. I'll see you later." He turned.

"Wait."

Alata was right behind him and Agri stood still. "Yes?"

"Please don't go. Even if you're not ready to talk, I'd like to have your company."

"That's it," Agri said, frustrated. He turned again, breathing in sharply at how close Alata was. "I don't know what you want."

"What I want?"

"From me." He felt like an idiot. "You're so nice to me and I don't know why."

Alata smiled a huge beautiful smile that somehow showed he was laughing with Agri, rather than laughing at him. "Oh, is that all?"

Agri scowled, crossing his arms and feeling like a petulant child.

"It's because I love you, of course," Alata said, as if it was the most natural response in the world. "Your strength and determination are beautiful. After the time we spent trying to figure out human love, I realized it wasn't all that different from love on Gosei World. But among humans, you show someone you love them by doing nice things rather than going to the tribe and registering. Remember the things Takuya did?"

"Yes, but..." Agri had no idea how to respond. "It's been...I mean, I didn't..." Agri closed his mouth, because he hated babbling.

Alata patted his arm gently. "It's fine that you don't love me back. I didn't do these things with any expectations. I love you and I wanted to do them for you because it made me happy to be with you and make you happy."

"Not love you?" Agri stared at him. "How could anyone not love you?"

It was Alata's turn to be stunned and he blinked, mouth hanging slightly open.

"You didn't need to do those things because I already loved you. I might not have realized what it was, but I do. You're the best of us, Alata."

"No." Alata shook his head. "I-"

"That modesty is part of it. Your aura is so strong and bright it almost blinds me." Agri wasn't sure where the words were coming from, but he couldn't have stopped them if he tried. "You never stop thinking about other people, you never stop believing that we'll protect the Earth, you never stop trying. You-"

Alata held up a hand. "Thank you." His smile was even more brilliant than usual.

"I...like being with you too." Stomach tied in knots, Agri licked his lips. "But I'm not sure where we go from here. It's all so different on Earth."

"It means we can make our own rules."

"Will the others-"

Alata took his hands. "Do you really think the others will object to our love? Or how we choose to celebrate it?"

"Of course not."

"Then we make our own rules." Alata looked serious. "May I kiss you?"

Agri nodded sharply, squeezing Alata's hands and stepping forward. Agri tried to remember what he'd seen others do but he had only recently become an adult and he just hadn't paid that much attention.

It took them a few moments to figure out where to put their hands and it was awkward and ridiculous as they embraced, but when Agri felt Alata smile against his cheek, it didn't matter. Then their lips met and everything else disappeared.

Agri could taste the chili paste from dinner on Alata's lips and he couldn't help licking. Alata laughed and pressed closer and that felt very good, so he tried it again. Alata's whole body shuddered against him and that felt even better.

Getting more confidence, Agri found that his arms fit naturally right under Alata's shoulders and he tilted his head just so and suddenly the angle was perfect. After an amazing eternity, Alata pulled back and smiled at him. "You see? Everything will be fine."

Agri couldn't help laughing at his love's sunny disposition, but holding him close, the land beneath his feet feeling almost as happy as he was, he had to agree that everything did seem likely to turn out fine.

-end-


End file.
